Officials target dangers of quarries

Saturday

Jul 12, 2014 at 8:40 PMJul 12, 2014 at 9:51 PM

By Susan Spencer TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

On a sunny July weekend afternoon, with the temperature in the 80s, the quarries that dot the region would normally be teeming with teenagers jumping off the high granite ledges into the cold, murky depths below.

The remote quarries have been the setting for countless parties, illegal dumping, daredevil leaps and, tragically, a number of deaths over the years.

Property owners and law enforcement seem to be at a loss to stop it. One problem is, no one has a good handle on how many quarries exist statewide and how they're being used. And their often hidden and remote locations make them difficult to control.

An amendment to the environmental bond bill approved by the state Senate last week, filed by state Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, would require the secretary of Public Safety and Security to inventory the abandoned quarries around the state and make recommendations for their future use.

"By inventorying all quarries in the commonwealth and obtaining information relative to their ownership, character, and degree of hazard, we will be better positioned to safeguard against the risk of serious injury or even death at these sites," Mr. Moore said in a news release.

Last Sunday, 18-year-old Nentor Dahn of Providence, dove into Fletcher Quarry behind Walden Way in Milford and never resurfaced. His body was found the next day in 70 feet of water, 10 feet from the steep perimeter of rocks.

Whether word of the boy's tragic death, which authorities consider an accident, or heightened enforcement against trespassing kept people away, the popular illicit swimming holes in Milford were empty of thrill-seekers Saturday.

An abundance of littered beer cans, firecracker remnants and graffiti around the quarries suggest the good times have been rolling for quite a while, even if there was a pause this weekend.

"Listening to stories from my own kids, I know kids come up here," said Len O'Neil of Milford, who stopped to look at the Fletcher Quarry while mountain biking with his wife, Rosario. "Kids have been jumping into quarries for years. When you look in the water and see a car chassis — I don't understand it."

Painted on one of the highest ledges angled over the water were the words "Leap of faith," perhaps ironically acknowledging the dangers that lie below.

Mr. O'Neil said that authorities should either utilize and actively protect the former quarries, which despite trash and pollution are habitat to several visible species of fish and wildlife, or come up with a better solution to keep people safe.

Jim and Sharon, who did not want their last names used, are residents of Walden Woods condominiums, whose association owns Fletcher Quarry.

Walking a dog along one of the trails by the quarry, Jim said it was a challenge to keep kids out.

"Police can't be there 24/7," he said. "This is too big an area for them to keep track of."

Another resident walking nearby, who did not give his name, added that all-terrain vehicles on the trails, drinking and loud music also presented problems to homeowners.

At another popular quarry nearby, Clare Quarry behind Shadowbrook Condominiums off Purchase Street, the water was also devoid of jumpers Saturday.

Chris Rice of Milford, who was pointing out a large black snake sunning on the rocks to his 6-year-old daughter, Krista, said it was unusually quiet. The quarry was much busier last weekend.

"While the helicopter was flying overhead (when searchers looked for the drowned teen), there had to be 100 kids jumping," he said, pointing to a graffiti-covered ledge. "There had to be another 15 walking up here."

The Clare Quarry at Shadowbrook was the scene of Milford's previous quarry fatality in 2007, when a Framingham boy hit his head on a ledge underwater.

Milford Fire Department Lt. Patrick Salmon said that his department gets occasional calls for slips and falls near quarries, often from mountain bikers, but not many for serious injuries.

The Dodds Quarry, just off Fortune Boulevard behind Quarry Square shopping plaza, is no longer a swimming spot since the business park that abuts it installed a fence. But a dozen or so years ago a man died when he drove his car into the water, according to Lt. Salmon.

He said there were roughly 12 quarries in Milford, where the "Milford pink" granite was mined between the mid-1800s and mid-to-late 1900s. Milford pink is still mined in Hopkinton.

Fletcher and Clare (Shadowbrook) quarries are the ones known for swimming.

Milford Police Chief Thomas O'Loughlin said in an email that his department doesn't get many calls about the quarries unless there are serious injuries.

"The quarries are private property so the responsibility to keep people out rests with the landowners," he said. "In an attempt to discourage young people from going to these locations, the Board of Selectmen has prohibited parking and authorized towing of violators on the streets nearest to the quarries and they have worked with business owners in the area to have them post their property 'No Trespassing' so that vehicles can be removed … if people park there to go to the quarries.

"Periodically, we do send plainclothes officers and uniformed officers to the quarries to determine if any illegal activities are taking place such as minors in possession of alcohol."

Uxbridge's Quarry Hill area, off Hartford Ave. West, also has been a traditional swimming spot.

"Before I put my house in here 14 years ago, this place was packed," said Peter Lavallee, whose property includes four quarries.

Mr. Lavallee, his family and friends enjoy swimming in the quarries, which he and his wife have cleared of decades' worth of trash. He even built a deck and diving board overlooking one of the swimming holes.

"It's like having your own pool, but no maintenance," said Mr. Lavallee, a brickmason.

Cranes and cable hooks from former quarry operations can still be seen beneath the water in some sections, though.

Mr. Lavallee said that a portion of granite for the base of the Statue of Liberty and for the Brooklyn Bridge came from his property. It was more recently owned by the late construction and gravel company owner, William Hood.

The Lavallees have posted "No Trespassing" signs every 50 feet to keep people out, but kids and even adults still try to sneak in.

Mr. Lavallee's wife, Dee, a teaching assistant at W. Edward Balmer Elementary School in Northbridge, said, "I've been cracking down on them because I don't want the same thing to happen here (as the drowning in Milford). I tell them, next time I'm going to call the cops."

Mrs. Lavallee said she recently kicked off her property some adults from Webster who said they always used to swim there.

But thrill-seekers looking for a cool plunge off the quarry outcroppings such as The Needle Point, the highest ledge on the property, keep trying to return.

"You think you're invincible when you're a kid," Mrs. Lavallee said.

Contact Susan Spencer at susan.spencer@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanSpencerTG